Jim Chiswell

How much do you know about your current self-storage tenants? Do you know your percentage of female customers, how payment habits correlate to length of stay, or the real worth of your small-unit tenants? Guest blogger Jim Chiswell says there are countless data points of ...More

In recent years, ground-up development of new self-storage facilities has given way to industry consolidation, with the real estate investment trusts (REITs) and larger, private companies leading the charge. Self-storage real estate experts discuss the trend and what it ...More

Guest blogger Jim Chiswell acknowledges that technological tools have been helpful to self-storage operators, but he also believes the performance of many managers has started to suffer as more emphasis is placed on the tools than the people side of the business. Instead, ...More

Where do self-storage managers and owners turn when looking to improve themselves and the success of the facilities they operate? Here are a number of low- and no-cost avenues for them to find the right coach. ...More

It's time for self-storage operators to take a step back from day-to-day operations and evaluate the plans, goals and objectives initiated in January. We all start off with a “ready, aim, fire” mentality. Right now, it’s important to add “re-aim” at the end of that mantra. ...More

Self-storage operators who haven't updated their rental agreements in the last few years could be opening themselves up to a host of problems. There has been just too much legislation and litigation to ignore the document that permanently establishes the legal relationship ...More

Just a word of caution about what could happen on Jan. 1, 2013. Unless our dysfunctional Congress gets its act together, average American families are headed toward a sweeping tax increase estimated at $3,800 next year. This could have serious consequences for the ...More

While I’m philosophically opposed to the concept of any governmental entity getting into competition with the private sector in any part of the economy, there may be a silver lining in this cloud. ...More

The Inside Self-Storage World Expo in Las Vegas, March 14-16, 2012, drew hundreds of self-storage owners, operators, investors, builders and vendors from around the country—and dozens from around the world. The three-day event included education, exhibits, workshops and ...More